These are some perceptions from teachers, parents and principals on a dual language program. The interviewees were selected from public schools in the District of Columbia in which there is currently a dual language program.
Principal of a dual language immersion program :
- Dr. Palacios, Why did you decide to start a dual language immersion program at your school?
“The majority of the population at our school is Latino and we thought that there was a need for it. We started the dual language program with Pre-K and have been moving up.”
- How does the program work?
“The classrooms are dual language with teachers co-teaching with a cooperative focus. We do not have enough money for two teachers in every classroom so there is one bilingual provider for every grade and they work with the teachers.”
- What are the benefits of a dual language program?
“I think the benefits are that it raises students’ self esteem as well as cultural awareness.”
Chandra Armstrong a Dual Language Program coordinator and ESL Teacher in DCPS talks about her experience with these programs:
- What is your responsibility as the dual language coordinator?
“I act as a liaison between the office of bilingual education and the teachers at the school.
- What are the benefits of a dual language program?
“Students will graduate being bi-lingual and bi-cultural in their experiences at this school.”
“Learning another language will be beneficial because they will have better cognitive skills.” - How do parents feel about the program?
“We get a lot of positive feedback from parents.” We try to help them as much as possible by providing strategies to help them work with their children on homework assignments.”
- What are some of the challenges involved with the program?
“It is usually hard to find materials in Spanish. “Finding time for teachers to plan together and teach together is also difficult.”
Parents at a dual language immersion school.
- What are the benefits of a dual language program?
“The program is beneficial to my daughter and to myself because she knows English and Spanish and when I do not know a word in English, she tells me it in Spanish.”
“I think most parents like the program because it is beneficial to everyone.”
“The program is really good for the students to learn English and Spanish.”
Teachers at a dual language immersion program
- What is your perception of a dual language immersion program? Has your perception changed over time?
“This is my first year teaching and when I came to this school, I didn’t really know anything about a dual language program, but I have learned a lot through the experience of being in the classroom as well as the courses that I have taken. Now I see the broader sense of planning it takes to implement an effective program.”
- What are the benefits that children get from a dual-language program?
“Both monolingual and bilingual children will benefit from a dual language program because they will learn and/or maintain a second language which will help them in their future.”
“Research has shown that there are huge cognitive benefits from learning two languages. It improves the function of the brain.”
- What do you think about the collaboration efforts between teachers and administration?
“It is important for teachers to plan together so that the content being taught, whether in English or Spanish is a continuous learning process for the children.”
“We have to plan together to reach the same goal.”
Students' Perceptions about Dual Language Programs
Quoted from CREDE (Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence).."Over the past several years, the U.S. Department of Education has funded numerous two-way bilingual—also called two-way immersion or dual language education—programs at elementary schools across the country."
"These two-way programs integrate native English-speaking students and English Language Learning (ELL) students for all content instruction in two languages. The goal is to promote high levels of bilingual proficiency; academic achievement; and positive attitudes toward school, self, and others. Studies of several elementary school programs show that two-way programs that are implemented correctly have very positive student outcomes at the elementary and early middle school levels (Christian, Montone, Lindholm & Carranza, 1997; Lindholm-Leary, 2001; Lindholm & Molina, 2000; Thomas & Collier, 1997)"," There is little information, however, on the impact participation in these programs has on students' success in high school or on their preparation for college. Nor have there been studies exploring whether native English-speaking students continue to use Spanish after they exit these programs, how they rate their Spanish proficiency, or their attitudes toward the two-way program and bilingualism."
Kathryn J. Lindholm-Leary & Graciela Borsato (2001) conducted a research with the purpose of examining the influence that participation in a two-way bilingual elementary program has had on former program participants' language and achievement outcomes; current schooling path and college plans; and attitudes toward school, self, and others. Study participants were current high school students who were enrolled in a two-way program throughout elementary school. They collected data from 142 participants (n=142) who were categorized into three ethnic/language groups: Hispanic previous English Language Learning (ELL) students (66%), Hispanic native English speakers (20%), and Euro American students (13%).
Results suggest that most students valued their bilingualism and were still using Spanish, had very positive attitudes toward school and attending college, believed they would not drop out of school, and gave very high marks to the two-way program. Few ethnic/language group differences were found, with the exception that the program was evaluated much more favorably in some areas by Hispanic students compared to Euro students, with Hispanic former ELL students typically providing the highest ratings.
Impact of Two-Way Bilingual Elementary Programs on Students' Attitudes Toward School and College, by Kathryn Lindholm-Leary & Graciela Borsato (2001, CREDE RR 10).
To view the whole study please click HERE
